Adding A/C & Exhaust

Step By Step

This is the basic underdash unit comprising the interior portion of Vintage Air's Sure-Fit kit for the first-gen Camaro/Firebird. The kit comes complete with easy-to-read instructions and wiring diagrams, plus all the necessary ducting and connectors...

...The defroster adapters come in two shapes on the early F-bodies, so be sure to let Vintage Air know whether you have the wide or narrow defroster vents. The Detroit Speed mounting bracket is attached loosely and, as shown in the detail, clearly labeled.

This segment is gonna blow big-time! Once again, since the amount of detail is so great, we had to cut the topic coverage to shoving air, and leave pushing fluids for next month. That said, we'll start with the installation of the Vintage Air system, which takes in hot and humid air (the bad air) and blows out the cool, dry air we desperately need during the summer months. Having the top down is nice, but you can't beat having the air on max to help cool you off; although nothing seemed to help much driving through the monsoons at last year's Hot Rod Power Tour! From there, we'll wrap up this month by installing the Flowmaster American Thunder system with their Series 40 Delta Flow mufflers. Not only will it expel the spent fumes out of the LS2, it'll produce that recognizable Flowmaster exhaust note we've grown to love!

Keep in mind, when you first start taking apart a car that's been sitting idle for an unknown number of years, expect to see some sort of a mess. Case in point, in our Camaro someone had actually retrofitted this non-air car with factory air, which had to be removed before installing the Vintage Air Sure-Fit heat and air-conditioning system in its place.

On the plus side, Detroit Speed made our job easier with their nifty hanger system for the first-gen Camaro/Vintage Air install, which saves you the trouble of having to fabricate your own hangers. Detroit Speed also produces a mounting bracket for the Vintage Air controller, which enables the controller to be mounted onto the stock dash location. All said and done, we'll address the difficulty level and leave you with a clear idea on what you may or may not want to attempt when installing a Vintage Air System by yourself. So get in, sit down, start reading, and keep your cool.

MORE PHOTOS

This is the basic underdash unit comprising the interior portion of Vintage Air's Sure-Fit kit for the first-gen Camaro/Firebird. The kit comes complete with easy-to-read instructions and wiring diagrams, plus all the necessary ducting and connectors...

...The defroster adapters come in two shapes on the early F-bodies, so be sure to let Vintage Air know whether you have the wide or narrow defroster vents. The Detroit Speed mounting bracket is attached loosely and, as shown in the detail, clearly labeled.

Kyle Tucker informed us we would need to drill out the holes in the dash brace, so after a quick test fit of the bracket, the holes were enlarged. Next, the Detroit Speed mounting bracket was securely attached to the Vintage Air unit and the entire unit eased into place under the dash. As you can see, the compact Sure-Fit unit looks right at home!

Once the location of the Vintage Air unit was checked for clearance, the Detroit Speed bracket was secured to the firewall and kick panel. Now take it out; take it all out! Seam sealer, primer, paint, and Dynamat have to be installed before the final assembly. Can you do this? Of course. This would require intermediate-level mechanical skills, but wait--there's more to come.

It's always nice to start with new, clean spaces, only to clutter them with wires and ducts and the like. The Dynamat Extreme was obtained from Detroit Speed, and we first sectioned around the Vintage Air area before the unit was installed.

It pays to read the instructions so that you know if tab A goes into slot B before the widget assembly is installed! After figuring out how it all went back together...

...it was only a matter of reattaching the Detroit Speed bracket to the Vintage Air evaporator, hanging the unit underneath the dash, and planning for the hose connection and water-valve orientation.

Vintage Air includes all the A/C hose fittings, clamps, and a selection of hoses, along with precise instructions on where the hoses are connected. Once the proper A/C and heater-specific fasteners are snugged into position, do not tighten them yet--the hose lengths may be estimated while the heater inlet and outlet hoses can be attached and tightened...

...The A/C hoses and fasteners are next; however, the difficulty factor has just jumped from intermediate to advanced by requiring a high-zoot tool, in our case known as unobtainium, which may hold true for most shops.

While you are at this point, waiting on the expert with the proper tools, make the drain connection for all that humidity the A/C will remove. Take your time and plan carefully, and you will have a drain line that looks better than factory and will disappear from view when the fender is attached.

Here's what the final result will look like, once the A/C lines are properly bent and clamped. At this point, electrical connections can be started while waiting for your resident Vintage Air professional to show up.

Check out the condenser unit Vintage Air provides for the first-gen Camaro. That old condenser will never deliver the performance of the newer units designed and sized for the demands we put on our new rides. Lucky for us, Kyle Tucker of Detroit Speed is one of Vintage Air's installation dealers and generously offered his help installing the balance of the system.

(Caution: Professional Installer... Do not attempt this at home!) Kyle dove right in, explaining the difference in fasteners for the A/C and heater hoses, between AN-6, AN-8, and AN-10 hoses and fittings, and how the unobtainium crimping tools worked. He then proceeded to measure and cut the hoses to be routed over the inner fender, thus hiding the majority of the connections from sight. Can you do this? With the correct tools (and an excellent teacher like Kyle), of course you can! Is it worth your time and investment in tools? For the average home builder, probably not, but that's your decision. It's important to note that professional installers will have not only the knowledge, but also the proper tools to make it right the first time. As for us, we'll stick with Kyle.

As each hose is cut to length, Kyle moves to the bench vise and uses the correct crimping tool to attach the proper barb or flare fitting. As these pictures show, there are two crimping tools required...

...The secret is to use the proper torque to crimp the fasteners without cutting through the hose. Should you attempt this in your own shop, we recommend practicing with the tool before moving on to the actual project.

The final product! The lines are wrapped with "Dum-Dum" to reduce vibration against the inner wheel well and keep the hoses stable. Make sure all your fittings are tight and inside the car at this time. They will be virtually impossible to access once the dash assembly is complete and the fenders are installed.

The Vintage Air controller is plug-and-play, and all the wiring is easily and quickly connected. Here's what the final assembly looks like before all the ductwork is connected.

Installing the Flowmaster American Thunder system with Series 40 Delta Flow mufflers is simple--take your vehicle and exhaust system to someone like Gene Childers at Muffler Master in Kannapolis, NC. Gene began by marking the exhaust hanger location.

Gene then positioned and aligned the entire Flowmaster system prior to welding or cutting any pipes. This ensures the exhaust system will not rub on any part of the frame, body, or suspension. It's this type of attention to detail that produces years of rattle-free operation. Best of all, the Series 40 Delta Flow mufflers complement the American Thunder system and emit a nice tone when the car is idling or running at a steady rpm.

Our bud Bobby Livengood held the Flowmaster mandrel-bent pipes over the axle while Gene tacked the joints. Once the joints are tacked and the rear part of the system is stabilized, he welded each joint.

It's critical that the turndowns are equally spaced between the bottom of the quarters and the leaf springs...

...Space is at a premium and the Flowmaster mandrel-bent tubing is perfectly shaped to allow adequate clearance, but installation technique and care is essential. With the rear portion finished, we can now move to the front.

While the clearances were tight, Gene patiently maneuvered the header connector bolts into position and tightened them securely into place. Make sure you use high-quality copper exhaust-header collector gaskets instead of the fiber gasket, or there's a good chance you'll be replacing them shortly.

Instead of welding, these stainless connectors were used to secure the header connector pipes to the exhaust pipes just aft of the transmission. If the transmission ever has to be removed, the exhaust can be separated easily and moved out of the way. The connectors conform to the different pipe sizes and form a leakproof seal.

With the entire Flowmaster American Thunder system sorted, Gene finished welding all the connections.

The result is an exhaust system that not only blows all the bad air out, but also emits that distinctive Flowmaster sound when the loud pedal is pushed. The care Gene took installing the system makes the exhaust something you want people to see. You'll find Flowmaster has a large caption under this part number, claiming this system will not fit convertibles. The reason is first-gen convertibles have a different structural support system from the coupes, plus they have an X-brace that increases the rigidity of the body...

...To overcome this, we eliminated the X-brace by having Bobby fabricate the brace you see here. To complete the system, we had Robbie Morrow powdercoat it for durability. It certainly looks better than stock and ultimately, the Flowmaster exhaust has plenty of clearance.